for the Society of American Mosaic Artists Fall 2017 Vol.18 No. 3

Transcription

1 ejournalgroutline for the Society of American Mosaic Artists Fall 2017 Vol.18 No. 3 Tiffany s Glass Mosaics The Corning Museum of Glass celebrates the innovative mosaic artistry of Louis C. Tiffany Tiffany s Glass Mosaics 2017 Australian National Exhibit Serenity Saved from the Fire 6th Curitiba Mosaic Biennale in Brazil

2 Groutline Fall 2017 President s Column 2 Tiffany s Glass Mosaics Australian National Exhibit 14 Serenity 17 Saved from the Fire 19 6th Curitiba Mosaic Biennale in Brazil 20 ON THE COVER Detail of frieze, Heroes and Heroines of the Homeric Story, Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, designed by Jacob Adolphus Holzer (American, b. Switzerland, ). Glass mosaic. Alexander Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey. FIND US! facebook.com/americanmosaics FOLLOW US! twitter.com/americanmosaics JOIN AND LEARN MORE! PRESIDENT S COLUMN The recent hurricanes and earthquake have wreaked havoc in the communities and lives of many SAMA members. I personally live in Miami, though I was out of town when the storm hit. My husband did the prep and rode out the storm and I hurried home to help with the mess that was left behind. I m grateful we were not as badly affected as many and my prayers go to those who will be struggling to recover in the weeks and months ahead. Because of Hurricane Irma, I was unable to attend SAMA s Board of Trustees Strategic Planning Retreat. In my seven years on the Board, this is the first meeting I missed and it felt terrible! Libby Hintz took charge of the weekend which was held at her home in Long Island and Tami Macala, our President-elect, began to share her vision of SAMA s future and the steps that will get us there. Libby s daughter, Amy, facilitated the weekend and her unbiased outside opinion was very helpful. Saturday was spent identifying SAMA s strengths and weaknesses. Sunday was spent developing ideas, solutions, and forming committees to execute our plans. We culminated our successful Recurring Donations Drive with a Facebook live drawing from the retreat. Thanks again to Chicago Mosaic School and Mosaic Arts Online for the wonderful prizes they donated, and to ORSONI for our grand prize. We have such amazing sponsors! They not only support our Sponsorship Drive and Vendor Marketplace, they are generous throughout the year when we need their help. And to all those who signed up for recurring donations, THANK YOU! Knowing how much money per month we can count on will be so helpful in planning our budget for the coming year. Thank you, SAMA Board of Trustees and Dawnmarie Zimmerman, our amazing Executive Director. I m excited and looking forward to helping implement your ideas! What are your Board of Trustees and staff working on now? Coming up in the next few months: opening of MAI Call to Artists, SOFA Chicago 2017, Sponsorship 2018, and registration for American Mosaic Summit 2018 in BOSTON. We are busy, busy, busy and we are all working for YOU! Anyone looking for an opportunity to help on a committee or join the Board of Trustees, please contact Donna, our volunteer coordinator at dpost@americanmosaics.org. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please enjoy this special issue which contains an in-depth article and beautiful photos from the recent (and ongoing til January 2018) exhibit: Tiffany s Glass Mosaics at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY. Besides ogling the amazing works, members can learn many tricks of the trade from the professionals who put on this marvelous exhibit. Thank you, CMoG! Jacki Gran Besides serving as SAMA president, Jacki is a mosaic artist in Miami, Florida. She is married with three grown children. Her passions include art, cooking, traveling, and most of all family and friends. jackigranmosaics.com ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 2 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

3 Tiffany s Glass Mosaics By Kelly A. Conway and Lindsy R. Parrott Excerpted from exhibition content created by The Corning Museum of Glass. This exhibition (now through January 7, 2018) was jointly organized by The Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG) and The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass and is the first museum exhibition focused exclusively on this aspect of Tiffany s extraordinary artistic career. Louis C. Tiffany s innovative artistry forged a bold new aesthetic for glass mosaics and contributed a uniquely American character to the centuriesold art form. Through exquisite new photography, high-definition gallery projections, and interactive activities, Tiffany s glass mosaics and the creative process behind them are fully appreciated for the first time in this unique exhibition. From their innovative design to installation, CMoG has made it possible to lose yourself in the immersive world of Tiffany s Glass Mosaics. All my life I have had a fancy for collecting bits of glass. As a boy I was fond of the bright-colored jewels in my father s shop [Tiffany and Company], and the passion for color grew with age. - Louis C. Tiffany Decorative Glass Work, The Evening Post (New York) August 10,1881 Louis C. Tiffany Louis C. Tiffany (American, ) was one of America's most acclaimed and talented artists and businessmen working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He directed a modern, international artistic empire in the design and creation of leaded-glass windows, lamps, blown glass vessels, numerous other objects of luxury, and mosaics perhaps his most expressive mastery of the medium of glass. Louis C. Tiffany was the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany (American, ), founder of the well-known jewelry and fancy goods retailer, Tiffany & Co. Louis studied to be a painter and developed a fascination with the artistic play of color and light. In his 20s, Tiffany s artistic interests shifted toward decorative arts and interior design, an emerging field of business in America in the last quarter of the 19th century. It was a period of expansive building construction following rapid growth in population and in the economy. Tiffany s firm was well-positioned to outfit the interiors of grand private residences as well as public buildings like churches, libraries, hotels, theaters, banks, and offices. Tiffany s glass mosaics were an integral aspect of this business for more than 40 years. Above: Mosaic panel with peonies, about Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company or Tiffany Studios. Glass mosaic, bronze. H. 13 ; W. 15 cm; D..25 cm. The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York ( ). Right: Louis Comfort Tiffany. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 3 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

4 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) About the Exhibition When you hear the words Tiffany and glass, you may immediately think of leaded glass windows or luminous lamps, but artist Louis C. Tiffany expressed his passion for color and glass most innovatively in the technique of mosaic. From monumental architectural installations to inkwells for desktops, Tiffany s Glass Mosaics is the first museum exhibition focused exclusively on this aspect of Tiffany s extraordinary artistic career. The exhibition features nearly 50 works dating from the 1890s to the 1920s, from intimately scaled, mosaic fancy goods designed for use in the home, to largescale, mosaic panels and architectural Panel, Fathers of the Church, about Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, designed by Joseph Lauber (American, b. Germany, ). Glass mosaic, glass jewels. H 97.5 W The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, Queens, New York (N.86.M.01). elements composed of thousands of individual pieces of glass. In addition, more than 1,000 pieces of original Tiffany glass on loan from The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, Queens, NY are included. At the beginning of the exhibition is a grand mosaic column made for the company s turn-of-the-20th-century showroom in New York City, followed by a selection of luxurious mosaic fancy goods lamps, and decorative panels that originally adorned the grand, new private residences built by American financiers and industrialists. Tiffany s marketing materials are also available to enable visitors to get a sense of what it was like to be a Tiffany customer. Mosaic Column, about Tiffany Studios. Glass mosaic, glass jewels, wood, metal, gilding. Allen Michaan, Michaan s Auctions. Poppy inkstand, about 1901; Glass mosaic, bronze, pressed glass, horsehair. H 3 Diam. 4. Pen wiper, about ; H 2.25 Diam Swirl pen tray, about ; H 1.75 W 8 D 3. Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company or Tiffany Studios, designs attributed to Clara Wolcott Driscoll (American, ). The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York ( , purchased in part with funds from the F. M. Kirby Foundation; ; and ). Detail of reredos, The Last Supper, Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, designed by Frederick Wilson (British, b. Ireland, ). Glass mosaic. Chapel, Clifton Springs Sanitarium (now The Spa Apartments), Clifton Springs, New York. One can explore the process behind the creation of Tiffany s mosaics from the detailed watercolor studies presented to clients to the creation of mosaic sample panels used to guide glass selection for special commissions. Interactive workroom activities and video screens demonstrate the skill and artistry of Tiffany s glass selectors and cutters. The innovative types of glass used to create two of Tiffany s most important mosaic commissions are explored The Dream Garden (1916) a resplendent, 15- by 49-foot mosaic mural in Philadelphia based on a painting by American artist Maxfield ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 4 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

5 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) Parrish, and Jacques Marquette s Expedition (1895) in Chicago. The glass selection in Tiffany s three versions of the mosaic panel, The Last Supper (1897, 1898, 1902) can be compared. Videos of the CMoG team explain the processes of iridescence and glass cutting. Cocurators, Kelly Conway and Lindsy Parrott reveal a journey of discovery for the grand mosaic commission at St. Mural, The Dream Garden, Tiffany Studios. H 15 W 49. Glass mosaic. Curtis Publishing Company Building Michael s Episcopal Church (now The Curtis Center & Dream Garden); mural in the collection of Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts ( , (1920) in New York City. partial bequest of John W. Merriam; partial purchase with funds provided by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts; partial gift of Bryn Mawr College, The University of the Arts, and The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania), A modern-day, Tiffanyinspired, mosaic design Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. made especially for the exhibition enables those interested to experiment with a prepared glass selection. Many of Tiffany s surviving glass mosaics are presented in a specially created Mosaic Theater, in which multiple high-definition monitors will showcase CMoG s new photography of these important artworks. These mosaics can finally be viewed in stunning detail and appreciated for the design, glass selection, and craftsmanship that was the hallmark of Tiffany s glass mosaics. Detail of frieze, Jacques Marquette s Expedition, Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, designed by Jacob Adolphus Holzer (American, b. Switzerland, ). Glass mosaic. Marquette Building, Chicago, Illinois. Reredos, Tiffany Glass Company or Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, designed by Jacob Adolphus Holzer (American, b. Switzerland, ). Glass mosaic with glass jewels, marble mosaic. St. Paul s Episcopal Church, Troy, New York. Panel, The Prayer of the Christian Soldier, Tiffany Studios, designed by Frederick Wilson (British, b. Ireland, ). Glass mosaic. First Presbyterian Church (now United Presbyterian Church), Binghamton, New York. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 5 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

6 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) Mosaic-Making at Louis C. Tiffany s Studios The art of mosaic was new to Americans in the late 19th century, and the public was mounted on separate boards to make fabrication more manageable. fascinated by the elaborate construction methods almost as much as the finished works themselves. Louis C. Tiffany capitalized on this interest and held exhibitions of recently completed and inprogress commissions at his New York City showrooms and studios. In 1897, The New York Times reported, It was before the incomplete glass mosaics and inlays that visitors halted longest, watching the process of construction. One of the murals in progress that day Heroes and Heroines of the Homeric Story, designed by Jacob A. Holzer (American, b. Switzerland, ) and Glass selection and cutting were carried out by trained artisans, both men and women, who possessed, according to an 1898 article in The Art Amateur, a good eye for color, taste, and infinite patience. The front surface, or face, of the mosaic was always turned toward the artisan so that every detail could be seen as the work unfolded. The original sketch was set next to the easel for easy reference. Work commenced slowly and methodically a single, life-size figure, for instance, might take three months to complete. installed at Princeton University in New Jersey illustrates the labor-intensive and collaborative process of making a mosaic. Tiffany s mosaics were cut using the same tools and techniques as the glass in his windows and lampshades. A Each commission began with one of Tiffany s artists, like Holzer, creating a watercolor design that was submitted to Tiffany and to the client for approval. Once accepted, a full-scale line drawing, called a cartoon, was created. It was traced onto transparent linen, which was then mounted to a board, or easel, and coated with a thin layer of wax that would hold each small piece of glass in diamond-tipped or steel wheel glass cutter was used to cut the glass, and a pair of soft metal pliers, or groziers, was used to chew away the edges to refine the shape of the piece. Fabrication was a painstaking process. Custom-shaping each piece of glass took time, as did scouring hundreds of glass sheets to find an area with just the right hue or texture to convey a particular detail. place as the picture came Top: Mosaicist selecting glass for Heroes and Heroines of the Homeric As each piece of glass was together. Large designs were Story. Image from Tiffany Glass Mosaics for Walls, Ceilings, Inlays, and selected, cut, and Other Ornamental Work; Unrestricted in Color, Impervious to Moisture, divided into sections and and Absolutely Permanent (New York, New York: Tiffany Glass and contoured, it was applied to Decorating Company, 1896), CMGL Above: Photograph of Tiffany Studios Mosaic Workshop. Image from Character and Individuality in Decorations and Furnishings (New York, New York: Tiffany Studios, about 1912), CMGL ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 6 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

7 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) All photos on this page: Frieze, Heroes and Heroines of the Homeric Story, Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, designed by Jacob Adolphus Holzer (American, b. Switzerland, ). Glass mosaic. Alexander Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey. the wax-covered easel. Once the cutting was complete, the easel was laid flat. Oiled paper was adhered to the surface of the glass to stabilize the design. The mosaic panel was then laid face down and the linen backing was carefully removed. Plaster was poured over the glass to fill every crevice. Once hard, the panel was turned face up and the oil paper was removed. Finally, the front of the mosaic was thoroughly cleaned and prepared for installation. Because Heroes and Heroines of the Homeric Story measures 10 by 35 feet and includes more than 30 figures, six horses, an ornate chariot, and numerous, elaborately decorated shields, it is no wonder that this complex design took some two years to execute. Color is to the eye what music is to the ear. - Louis Comfort Tiffany ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 7 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

8 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) Hidden Treasures within The Neustadt s Tiffany Glass Archive Tucked away in a nondescript warehouse in Queens, NY, is a library unlike any you ve ever seen. Carefully stored in towering aisles of wooden cubbies are more than a quarter of a million pieces of Tiffany glass in a seemingly endless array of rich colors, bold patterns, and intriguing textures. This library is the repository of a unique trove of original material once used by Louis C. Tiffany s studios to create his celebrated leaded glass windows, lampshades, and mosaics. The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass is its proud custodian. The exhibition and publication spurred us to sift through our own holdings of thousands of tiny pieces of glass that we had always suspected were used for mosaics. We found glass that was patterned and plain, textured and flat, iridescent When Tiffany s firm closed in 1937, all remaining stock was sold. The liquidation sales included a vast inventory of flat glass, ranging from full, uncut sheets to shards the size of a fingernail as well as a tantalizing assortment of glass jewels. Early Tiffany collector and museum founder, Dr. Egon Neustadt (American, born Austria, ) recognized the historical value of this material and purchased it in Today, this oneof-a-kind collection is an invaluable archive and offers important insights into Tiffany s artistic legacy in glass. Left: Selection of glass jewels, about Right: Variety of iridescent glass used for mosaics. Tiffany Furnaces, Corona, NY. Courtesy of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. Perhaps the most thrilling discoveries were made after visiting mosaic commissions across the U.S. Racks of sheet glass used by Tiffany Studios. and poring Courtesy of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. over the new high- resolution images of some of these sites captured by CMoG s photography team. We successfully identified glass in our archive matching several of Tiffany s most dazzling mosaics, including The Dream Garden, in Philadelphia, PA, based on a painting by American artist Maxfield Parrish. Glass made specially to translate Parrish s distinctive color palette is featured in the exhibition, alongside a digital interactive exploring this monumental commission. and opalescent, opaque and translucent, some backed with gold leaf and others with aluminum leaf. And, among these shards, we were surprised and delighted to find hundreds of pieces of glass that had been painstakingly selected and cut into deliberate shapes, but for unknown reasons, never used. Some of these pieces even retain a wax residue, indicating that they were placed into a working composition for the artist to consider. Sorting through thousands of unique examples, where no two are ever exactly alike, gave us a greater appreciation for the enormous task faced by Tiffany s artisans at the start of each mosaic commission. From this seemingly endless variety of glass, choices had to be made. We faced a similar prospect as we agonized over which pieces to include in the exhibition. In the end, it took over 1,000 examples to even hint at the staggering range of possibilities. We hope this selection illuminates and reflects the artistic vision and persistence required to create these mosaic masterpieces. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 8 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

9 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) Installing the Exhibition Staff prepared the Special Exhibitions Gallery for the Tiffany show for over three months. This work included creating all new walls and decks, core drilling the concrete floor to add power and data for digital interactives, and raising a section of ceiling to accommodate the large Tiffany column. Installation of objects, photographs, and labels for Tiffany s Glass Mosaics took approximately four weeks, and more than 40 museum staff including collections management, curatorial, conservation, digital, graphics, and lighting departments working alongside loan couriers and contractors. If you would like to take an inside peek at what went on behind-the-scenes, please visit our blog: installing-tiffanys-glass-mosaics/. Tiffany's Glass Mosaics Exhibition at The Corning Museum of Glass. The Workroom shows how mosaics were designed and fabricated at Tiffany Studios. The finished exhibition photos speak for themselves! The Mosaic Theater showcases new highresolution photography of Tiffany mosaics installed throughout the Northeastern U.S. The Showroom contains examples of Tiffany designs from desk sets and lamps to fireplace surrounds. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 9 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

10 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) During the summertime a few years ago, my cocurator, Lindsy Parrott and I began traveling across the country to prepare for our current exhibition, Tiffany s Glass Mosaics. Many of Tiffany s glass mosaics are still installed in their original locations at universities, commercial office buildings, department stores, libraries, churches, and even cemeteries. As curators, Lindsy and I recognized that travel was crucial to our research to better understand the construction methods, glass selection, themes and subject matters, and the different ways mosaics were used in architectural interiors. We were not able to do this kind of research solely from archives and books because so many of Tiffany s most important glass mosaics lacked highquality detailed photography. Our goal was to gather this information to assess the full scope of Tiffany s work in glass mosaic and to prepare exhibition checklists, including a list of brand new photography we wanted to capture for the exhibition and publication. We selected more than a dozen sites we felt were most in need of new images, and CMoG s photography team traveled to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, New Jersey, and throughout New York State to capture detailed images of these artworks. Many of these new photographs are now available to other scholars and Tiffany enthusiasts to study from and enjoy in CMoG s exhibition and publication, Tiffany s Glass Mosaics. Road Trip for Tiffany One of the special features of the exhibition, is the Mosaic Theater, designed as an immersive experience, using highdefinition monitors to project the new images in stunning detail. Original musical scores accompany each featured site, all composed to convey a sense of the architecture or story unfolding before you on the monitors. The completely unique Mosaic Theater allows you to experience these mosaics up close and at eye level, providing the opportunity for heightened appreciation of the design, glass selection, and craftsmanship of Tiffany s most important architectural mosaics. Right: Detail of pulpit (above) and altar railing (below), First Presbyterian Church, Bath, New York ( ). Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. Glass mosaic, wood inlaid with glass. Interior of First Presbyterian Church, Bath, New York ( ). Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 10 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

11 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) While the exhibition at CMoG is one-of-a-kind opportunity to see so many of Tiffany s glass mosaics in one place and in amazing detail, there is also nothing like seeing these mosaics in their original architectural surroundings. On our travels, Lindsy and I talked with church historians and docents to learn more about who commissioned mosaics and how they are being looked after today. We also witnessed the importance of light in mosaic design, watching the changes in color and reflection on the three-dimensional glass as a cloud drifted by outside. We listened to the church organist practicing at St. Michael s Episcopal Church, a multi-sensory experience that inspired our Mosaic Theater. We spent hours leaning over the balcony and looking through binoculars, trying to take in the detailed glass and mother-of-pearl mosaics installed in the Marquette Building lobby in Chicago. We even took a moment to stop looking at the mosaics and do a little shopping under the grand, mosaic-domed ceiling at Macy s department store (originally Marshall Field and Company), just like the first customers did when the mosaic was unveiled in There is nothing that compares to seeing these mosaics in their original settings. Traveling to see them in situ provides a sense of scale, dynamic lighting, and context with the other interior decorative elements. MOSAIC REREDOSa large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. Chapel of the Angels, St. Michael s Episcopal Church, New York, New York, Detail at right. Tiffany Studios. Glass mosaic, marble inlaid with glass, stone mosaic. For the three images above: Reredos with cross and details, after Tiffany Studios. Glass mosaic with glass jewels. Christ Episcopal Church, Corning, New York. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 11 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

12 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) Making Glass for Tiffany s Mosaics Louis C. Tiffany s glassblowers were instrumental in making a significant portion of the flat glass used to create the firm s celebrated mosaics. Intriguing types of decoration typically seen in Tiffany s blown glass vases were also artfully incorporated into mosaic compositions, such as a lustrous rainbow iridescence, threaded patterns, or bubbly, pitted surfaces. Tiffany s mosaics most commonly incorporated flat glass made by rolling a molten gob of glass into sheets that could then be cut into smaller pieces for intricate mosaic compositions. This was a fast and efficient way of producing sheet glass, used to create glass selected and cut for Tiffany s windows and lampshades. However, it wasn t possible to achieve, through this rolled technique, the iridescent and complexly patterned surfaces in some of the flat glass we encounter in Tiffany s mosaics. The Neustadt s Tiffany Glass Archive provided us with important clues about the glassmaking processes used to make mosaics. We discovered pieces of glass that looked as if they had been made by employing a technique called cylinder glassmaking. It is a process typically associated with historical window glass production, but Tiffany s glassblowers used it in a new way to create an amazing variety of patterns and surface finishes, which greatly expanded the glass palette previously available to mosaicists. In the cylinder method, glass was transformed into a thin sheet through the process of glassblowing. Glassmakers began the process by gathering glass of one color and applying decoration such as threaded patterns in contrasting colors, embedding murrine, or exposing the hot glass to metallic oxides to create an iridescent surface. The glass was then inflated and shaped into an elongated cylinder form. The cylinder was shaped and opened on both ends to create a tube. Finally, the cylinder was split along its length and placed in a chamber heated to 1,500 degrees. At this temperature, the softened glass could be coaxed open into a flat sheet for mosaic selectors and cutters to use. An especially unique use of cylinder glass (and one that really excited us to discover) was the inclusion of murrine to create the detailed representations of flowers in The Dream Garden. This decorative method was already used at Tiffany s furnaces to create flowers, such as morning glories, for glass vases. To create murrine, colored glass patterns were stretched into long canes, and sliced into disks to reveal the pattern in cross section. Murrine were imbedded in the surface of the molten glass gob and then, using the cylinder glass process described above, transformed into flat glass. By doing this, the murrine were stretched and thinned, creating a painterly look used so effectively in this tour de force mosaic. The level of detail seen in this single small flower attests to the skill and dedication of Tiffany s team to achieve unprecedented effects in glass mosaics. It has been thrilling to look at Tiffany s mosaics through the lens of glassmaking, rather than simply focusing on the beauty of the finished object or panel. The clues discovered in The Neustadt s Glass Archive and the insights shared by CMoG s glassblowers provide a richer, fuller picture of the complicated creative process undertaken by Tiffany s firm to make these magnificent mosaics. Top: Blown and cut glass murrine. Above: Streaky sheet glass. Both samples from Tiffany Furnaces, Corona, New York. The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, Queens, New York. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 12 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

13 TIFFANY S GLASS MOSAICS (CONTINUED) Resources Tiffany s Glass Mosaics Acknowledgements / Contributors Links Kelly Conway was appointed curator of American glass at The Corning Museum of Glass in She is the co-curator of CMoG s current exhibition and accompanying publication, Tiffany s Glass Mosaics, and is currently undertaking a re-installation of the museum s American cut and engraved glass collection. Tiffany s Glass Mosaics (Corning Museum of Glass Website) Lindsy Parrott is the director and curator of The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. During her 13-year tenure, she has extensively researched Louis C. Tiffany s leaded glass windows, lamps, and opalescent flat glass. The Neustadt s Tiffany Glass Archive Tiffany s mosaics: Changing the ecclesiastical landscape Louis C. Tiffany & Tiffany Studios Publications Tiffany s Glass Mosaics is a new publication presenting the most comprehensive documentation and analysis of Tiffany s glass mosaics to date. The volume advances scholarship in the field, and offers new perspectives for readers at all levels of expertise. It is fully illustrated with new photography of many of Tiffany s most celebrated mosaic commissions, including The Dream Garden in The Curtis Center in Philadelphia and Jacques Marquette s Expedition in Chicago s Marquette Building. Photography All photos courtesy of The Corning Museum of Glass SAMANEWS ADVERTISE IN GROUTLINE 61.6% of members say hotlinks to member mosaic suppliers are very important. 68.8% of members rate Groutline as SAMA's most important program. DOWNLOAD a media kit at: CONTRIBUTE YOUR IDEAS Your experience with installations, new materials, workshops, mosaic friendships send them our way! communications@americanmosaics.org ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 13 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

14 2017Australian MOSAIC ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND National Exhibition By Caitlin Hughes Skills amongst Australian mosaic artists continue to grow and develop, as education and years of application shine through. Helen Bodycomb, Juror Australian mosaic is steadily developing its own voice as evident in the thirty-nine pieces selected for the Mosaic Association of Australia and New Zealand (MAANZ) National Exhibition held at Long Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania in August The juried national exhibition is held once every two years in conjunction with the MAANZ National Symposium. This year s exhibition was judged by Toyoharu Kii and Australian visual artist and mosaicist Helen Bodycomb. The range of works exhibited was broad with themes referencing history, the environment, memory and nostalgia, as well as reflections on modern life. As an exhibition the works demonstrated our artists continued growth both in technical execution and conceptual development. This sentiment is echoed by words from one of our judges, Helen Bodycomb. "The works in this year s MAANZ National Exhibition were of a very 4 1 Doorways to Landscape. Caitlin Hughes, H 30 W 25 D 2, smalti, litovi 2 Torn, Bev Plowman, H 47 W 39 D 2, glazed Ceramic 3 Andamentropy, Marian Shapiro, H 14 W 12 D 1, unglazed ceramic, gold smalti, shards, hand-formed substrates 4 Terra triptych, Saskia Kremer, H 11 W 9 D 1, sandstone & claystone 5 Botanical Fantasy in Black & White, Lucy Cleary, H 17 W 17 D 1, kiln and flame-worked glass with dichroic and painted detail 5 ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 14 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

15 2017 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION (CONTINUED) 6 high standard, evidence that skills amongst Australian mosaic artists continue to grow and develop, as education and years of application shine through. Some great initiatives include numerous examples of custom-made and custom-quarried tesserae, also with a number of works entering more experimental mosaic territory through innovation in choice of material and method. The Antipodean mosaic artists are breaking 9 some fresh ground which is wonderful to see." First Prize in the Wall Hanging Section was awarded to Victorian artist Bev Plowman for her artwork titled Torn (2). This large-scale work was created using hand formed pieces of porcelain and earthenware which had been individually treated with a variety of glazes. These were layered in a textured application which fused mosaic and ceramic language creating a play on light. Second Prize in the Wall Hanging Section was awarded to Marian Shapiro from NSW for her piece titled Andamentropy (3) which was a conceptual exploration of the relationships between mortar, tesserae and substrate in their struggle for dominance and subsequent decent into chaos. Third prize in the Wall Hanging Section was awarded to Caitlin Hughes for her textural piece, Doorways to Landscape (1), a representation of peeling paint from the heritage walls of her studio in the Blue 8 Mountains. Two artworks were awarded Highly Commended, one of which went to Saskia Kremer from NSW for her piece Terra Triptych (4), inspired by the ancient minimalistic sculptures of the Cyclades, which were rendered with locally sourced sandstone and clay stone. The other Highly Commended was awarded to Lucy Cleary for her bold piece Botanical Fantasy in Black and White (5), created entirely from kiln and flameworked glass. First Prize in the Sculptural Section was awarded to Fiona Tettman for her intimate and nostalgic mosaic titled The Sewing Box (6). This small-scale work from a broader series by Tettman was paying homage to her grandmother and the role of the sewing box in an earlier, domestic life. Second Prize in Sculpture was awarded to Christine Stickley from NSW for her colorful and symbolic sculpture, Warren (9), made in honour of her father, and Third Prize was awarded to Cetta Pilati from Victoria for her marble mosaic diptych, Absorbing the Times - Femina and Maschio (10), which was inspired by the ancient Beth Alpha mosaic, The Binding of Isaac. The female and male forms are lifted from the pavement mosaic to stand and watch our current world. Simply and effectively executed, the work forms a 6 The Sewing Jar, Fiona Tettman, H 8 W 5 D 5, stained glass, Cinca, beads, ceramic, cotton reels, pins, buttons, glass jar, hand-formed substrate 7 Bleached, Mikiah Nguyen, H 39 W 39 D 2, quartz, plastic tube, hand-formed cement tesserae 8 Ghosts of Thylacine's Past, Pamela Irving, H 27 W 17 D 4, smalti, china, cement 9 Warren (detail), Christine Stickley, H 26 W 10 D 5, smalti, tempered glass, vitreous glass, glass cabochon, agate, calcite, stained glass, glass gems, timber 10 Absorbing the Times Femina & Maschio, Cetta Pilati, H 14 W 12 D 3, cement & marble 10 7 ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 15 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

16 2017 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION (CONTINUED) bridge between the past and present. Also referencing the past was Ghosts of Thylacine's Past (8) by Australian mosaic veteran, Pamela Irving. A playful representation in Irving s signature style but with somewhat melancholy undertones lamenting the extinction of our native tiger. 11 material and conceptual investigations, with many pieces reflecting an increasing sophistication in technical application and exploration of ideas. Whilst our geographical distance from mosaic tradition and history is sometimes thought to be a hindrance, it can also be seen to be providing us with a freedom to explore and experiment. An environmental theme was portrayed by Mikiah Nguyen s piece Bleached (7), which was previously selected for the The Waterhouse National Science Art Prize. Nguyen s work speaks of the devastating changes we are seeing in our coral reefs due to global warming, combining traditionally laid quartz with cement modules and plastic tubing in a textural and poignant work. 12 Interpreting a similar theme was Lea Kannar- Lichtenberger s contemporary piece Exhale in the Anthropocene (13). This sculptural installation of wheel-thrown glazed ceramic modules, water, petri dish, and globe was encased within a large plastic bag creating an internal evaporative environment. This work comments on the pollution of our waterways and planet with microplastics in the age of consumerism. A piece with a more romanticised view was Barb Ulenbruch s well-executed work titled Meet Me at the Park (11), which captured the atmosphere of the Luxemburg Gardens in Paris. This piece 13 invited the audience to feel the atmosphere and anticipation of the time with sophisticated manipulation of color, value, and perspective. Australian mosaicists are developing strong 11 Meet me at the Park, Barb Uhlenbruch, H 11 W 16 D 1, Italian smalti, Mexican smalti 12 Glacier, Galia Menin, H 19 W 35 D 2, smalti, marble, dalle de verre, quartz, celestite, kyanite, amethyst 13 Exhale in the Anthropocene (Detail), Lea Kannar-Lichtenberger, H 23 W 13 D 13, high fired ceramics, perspex petri dish, world globe, dry cleaners bag, water, zip tie. 14 When Compassion is Conditional, Rachel Bremner, H 15 W 11 D 1, marble, gold 15 Heimat, Inge Gardner, H 31 W 11 D 1, ammonites, marble, granite, slate, travertine, limestone, Marmox board Australian mosaic artist Caitlin Hughes is the MAANZ Education Officer and owner of Hughes Studio a school of Visual Art and Mosaic. Caitlin gained a BFA in sculpture from the National Art School and a Master of Teaching in VA Ed. at USYD and is passionate about mosaic education and the development of mosaic as an art form in Australia. ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 16 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

17 Serenity Robin Moyher creates a serene garden with the unexpected help of mosaic artists worldwide. By Robin Moyher It was about a year ago that I first heard about the Rancho Cordova Community Enhancement Fund Grant Program, funded by Measure H, a one-half cent local sales tax measure that was approved by Rancho Cordova citizens in As a local artist in the city's database, I was informed that there was a specific amount set aside for the arts. Always wanting to expand my mosaic art into the public art arena, I looked around for an area within the city that I would feel comfortable offering a mosaic installation. I then discovered the recently created meditation garden at the Sacramento VA Medical Center in Rancho Cordova, and heard Completed mural measuring 5.5 feet wide by 7 feet tall how staff and patients (as well as visitors) enjoy sitting in the peaceful area. Lacking any color, but rather protected from vandals (tucked back from view, surrounded on three sides by walls, and covered with video surveillance), I felt it was the perfect area to consider. With the enthusiastic support and help of Maria Almes, the Program Director of Voluntary Services, I applied for and was awarded my grant, which included only an estimation of material costs, as I wanted to donate my labor completely for this project. Having previously participated in various calls to artists community mosaic projects from Facebook mosaic groups, I decided Butterflies created on fiberglass mesh for later adherence to Wedi panels. Robin adhering the focal point dove and butterflies (all pre-attached to fiberglass mesh) to upper Wedi panel using thinset. Robin and friend (Kat Davies) grouting lower panel. It took over 15 hours to grout the two panels. Top: Beaded flower donated by Penny Toomi ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 17 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

18 SERENITY / ROBYN MOYER (CONTINUED) to reach out to my mosaic friends worldwide, inviting them to donate mosaic flowers attached to fiberglass mesh which I would incorporate into the garden section of the image. I was overwhelmed when over 40 artists donated over 150 flowers, coming from 16 states and 3 foreign countries. When I hosted a workshop for veterans to help create leaves for the mural, I got additional volunteers. Altogether, there were over 200 flowers and a total of 50 people volunteered their labor on this project. few weeks. On February 28, 2017 it was installed, with finishing touches added over the next couple of days. From the start, I knew I wanted to create something that would add color and inspiration, bringing tranquility, peace, and serenity to the area. So it was only fitting to title my completed piece Serenity. It was inspired by the poem, The Serenity Prayer. It is my hope and prayer my mural will add to the serenity of the garden and to the lives of those who visit it. My completed design evolved into much greater detail than I originally proposed, so seven months and over 500 hours later, it was finished. It is comprised of two Wedi panels measuring 5.5 feet wide by 7 feet tall. Having to wait for the weather to coordinate with VA engineering schedules postponed the installation for another Top left to right: Workshop of women veterans who volunteered to create mosaic leaves for the mural; Robin putting the grout over the bolt holes after installation; Robin s visual display of the creation of Serenity for those who attended the dedication ceremony; Robin supervising the installation by the VA engineering team. Donated flowers clockwise from above center: Pink ceramic star flower by Ruby Hopper; Anita Duke s purple flower engraved with her uncle s name to honor his sacrifice he was killed in action in Vietnam; blue Morning Glory stained glass flower by Candace Clough; stained glass flower with bee by Jacque Towner. The Serenity Prayer God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference. Robin Moyher started creating mosaics in 2012 during a time of loss, finding healing and purpose through her art and donates half of her sales to nonprofits she supports through her Mosaics for Missions business/ministry. After attending SAMA in 2015 on a scholarship, and taking Roger Whiting s workshop, Robin discovered her heart directed towards public art and is currently working on a mosaic art grant for the Mather Veteran s Village, a transitional facility for homeless vets funded by the Community Enhancement Fund from the City of Rancho Cordova. Photos: Individual flowers by Robin Moyher, all others by Roger Moyher ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 18 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

19 By Laura Paull Saved from the Fire Five Precious Mosaics When college professor Debbie Crouse Laffranchini visited the Institute of Mosaic Art in the summer of 2016, it was love at first sight. She left Berkeley the owner of mosaic works by five different artists and installed them in her new retirement home in the Shasta-Trinity Wilderness Area. Although northern California forests are prone to fires, Debbie s house, which she calls Bliss Acres, was well protected by cleared space around the perimeter. But the property, just off Highway 299 the main east-west route connecting Redding and Eureka was in the danger zone when the Helena Fire broke out just before Labor Day weekend. I got the call to evacuate on August 30; the fire grew from 1,500 to 6,000 acres by the end of the day, Debbie said. When you get that call, you have to think: what is really important to me, besides my life? And I realized that the only things I really cared about were the mosaics. Debbie was in her other home, in Turlock, CA at the time. She called the couple who were temporarily staying in the house and told them what they needed to do: put the five mosaics in their car along with any important personal effects, and leave immediately. Her guests, Jeff and Zelda Caldwell, raced around the house, removing the artworks from the walls. They wrapped them quickly in bubble wrap, a layer of thin foam, and finally a mattress pad, and drove them to a safe house in Weaverville while it was still possible to get out. The highway was closed the following day. Saved from the fire were: Flower Pod Mola by Jill Stevenson Ritter; Stonescapes, a two-panel piece by My Xuan Ho; a three dimensional glass mosaic, Fly Away with My Heart by Julie Friesen; Ojo de Dios (God s Eye) by Kelli Russell, and Joi Tripp s mosaic sculpture Super Mama Glam Glam, Destroyer of Flim Flam, which was also shown at the 2016 Contemporary Mosaic Art Summit in Ashland before shipping to Debbie s home. As of this writing, September 22, the Helena Fire, combined with the nearby Fork Fire, has grown to almost 22,000 acres. Over 140 structures were destroyed, but fortunately for Debbie, Bliss Acres wasn t one of them. As much as she values the home to which she plans to retire, it is covered by insurance. Most of the contents of a house can be replaced. But the mosaic pieces, she realized, were each and every one of them one of a kind. When one purchases a mosaic, it is for different reasons than interior decorating or souvenirs of travel, she reflected. I choose a mosaic that takes me to a place I ve never been, that I visit every time I look at it, touch it, imagine the artist placing each stone, fabric, gem, or bead. I become part of it and engage in a relationship with the artist. For me, mosaics become something I can t part with once I have connected to them. And so I protect them, above any other possession I own. They are irreplaceable. Laura Paull is a full-time writer/editor and part-time mosaicist in the San Francisco Bay Area. She especially enjoys writing about art and artists. For the past year she s had the immense privilege of working alongside Ilse Cordoni at the Institute of Mosaic Art. You can reach her at laura.paull@gmail.com. Top to Bottom: Fly Away with My Heart by Julie Friesen; Flower Pod Mola by Jill Stevenson Ritter; and Joi Tripp s mosaic sculpture Super Mama Glam Glam, Destroyer of Flim Flam ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 19 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

20 Free Mosaic Curitiba 6th Mosaic Biennale Regina Shahini BRAZIL Loulou Top: Curitiba Exhibition space. Above: Ademir Paixão, Brazilian cartoonist at work. 2. Manas Bonetti BRAZIL (Friuli Scuola de Mosaico) Olhar Musivo 3. Monica Mascheroni ARGENTINA Bendita Leticia Melara and Beatriz Pereira have been organizing, producing, and sponsoring Mosaic exhibitions biannually within the Curitiba Memorial since With the help and dedication of their partners, Rosangela Kusma Gasparin, Magaly Floriano, and Marcelo de Melo, as well as the support of the Curitiba Cultural Foundation, they have built a platform on which Brazilian mosaics are exhibited alongside other global mosaic works. This year they hosted Free Mosaic, the 6th Curitiba Mosaic Biennale, August 4th to September 3rd at the Curitiba Memorial, which emphasized the diversity of techniques, materials, and styles within the mosaic art form as well as the free range of artistic expression that is redefining the historical paradigms of contemporary mosaic perception Loudes Deroza BRAZIL Mal estar da civilização 5. Rejaine Fiori BRAZIL Babi 6. Fernando Bekir ARGENTINA Urbe 7. Bea Pereira BRAZIL Ópera de Arame (Based on Guilherme Pupo photo) 8. Angela Ribeiro BRAZIL Veios da terra 9. Juraci Volpato BRAZIL Transformação 9 Free Mosaic is a curatorial survey of the current state of contemporary Brazilian mosaic. Leticia Melara, the ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 20 8 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

21 6TH CURITIBA BIENNALE (CONTINUED) 10. Bia Lisboa, Claudia Piccoli, Iva Bernardes, Lúcia Bien, Mari Sangoi, and Zaira Mainardi Dança cósmica 11.Rosangela Kusma Gasparin BRAZIL Estação tubo (Based on Guilherme Pupo's Photo) 12.Marcelo de Melo BRAZIL Rede de Modulação Musiva 13.Deise Furlani BRAZIL Tatoo You 14.Cristina Passaretti BRAZIL (Friuli Scuola de Mosaico) Auto Retrato 15.Maria Ártemis BRAZIL Movimento 12 Biennale s organizer, sought to showcase works that embodied diverse characteristics and peculiar dialogues, channeling the free and boundless period that the 10 art form is experiencing. The exhibition consisted of 74 pieces made by 88 mosaic artists, presented in the form of sculpture, panel, and installation. Latin American mosaic artists are committed to the development of mosaic in their individual countries. Many of them are investing significantly in the mastery of various 11 mosaic techniques and the study of their respective artistic concepts. The culmination of these efforts was reflected in the works exhibited, surprising viewers in their richness of material, texture, creativity, and content. The project Curitiba: Mosaic through Guilherme Pupo s Photos, was also exhibited at Free Mosaic. Consisting of 12 panels, each created by a separate Curitiba-based atelier, the project encompassed mosaic interpretations of Pupo s aerial photographs of Curitiba. In addition to the magnificent works exhibited, the cartoonist Ademir Paixao once again created another of 14 his ingenious innovations. Parallel to the exhibition, visual artist Marcelo de Melo presented a phenomenological installation a discussion of the plurality of the contemporary muse, and the workshop Free Mosaic, designed to further artistic composition in mosaic. São Paulo Mosaicists Tribute to Kimi Nii As part of their exhibition for the 6th Biennale of Curitiba, a group of artists from São Paulo, Brazil decided to pay tribute to renowned potter, Kimi Nii, by selecting one of her works, Coluna Helicoidal, to interpret in mosaics. The sculpture embodies Japanese bamboo and is currently exhibited in the Complexo Porto Seguro, São Paulo. The group s mosaic was named Danketsu (a Japanese word for unity). It was fabricated from a polystyrene base to be fixed to the floor and divided into seven parts, allowing each artist to project their own vision and technique. The work was to be interpreted using a mosaic composition of pottery parts rejected by Nii s quality control due to burn failure, faulty painting, and fracture. It is illuminated from within and its dimensions are H 84.5 by W 9.75 inches. Participating artists were: Simone Berton, Marcia Guimarães, Ramona Kiessling, Monica Mascheroni Uhart, Sandra Naxara, Regina Shahini, Iara lone Valerio, Mosaic photo: lara lone Valerio 13 Photos: Letícia Melara, Deposito do Mosaico 15 ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 21 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

22 ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 22 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

23 Exclusive distributor of Mosaici Dona Murano smalti and gold. 300 colors of smalti always in stock. 100 types of stone. A wide selection of Filato round, flat, and shapes. Piastrina, trasparenti, and millefiori. Wide selection of hammers, hardies, and tools. Classes, workshops, and visiting artists. Design: Shawn Newton Design SAMA Board and Executive Director... decompressing after a long day at Strategic Planning Retreat Top row, left to right: Pat Bryant, Kimberly Kelly, Gabriella Grama Middle row: Donna Post, Libby Hintz, Nida Khalil, Judy Davis, Dawnmarie Zimmerman, Erin Bliss Bottom row: Deborah Durant, Tami Macala, Luis Alberto Rivera Not attending: Jacki Gran and Yvonne Allen ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 23 GROUTLINE FALL 2017

24 SAMA WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR 2017 SPONSORS President s Circle Smalti.com Wit send Mosaic LATICRETE International Gold Circle di Mosaico Silver Circle Rainbow Mosaics/Mosaic Mentoring SAMA Board of Trustees Bronze Circle Atelier del Mosaico MOSAICO-Houston Marble Austin Mosaic Guild Sashco Sealants Glass Barbara King/Regalo Studios The Chicago Mosaic School Kismet Mosaics Mosaic Artists of Michigan Sonia King Mosaic Artist SWH Art Studio Inc. Wedi SAMA BOARD & OFFICERS President Jacki Gran Vice President Libby Hintz Secretary Donna Post Treasurer Pat Bryant EC Member at large Tami Macala Board of Trustees Yvonne Allen Erin Bliss Pat Bryant Judy Davis Deborah Durant Gabriella Grama Jacki Gran Libby Hintz Kim Immenhausen Kelly Nida Khalil Tami Macala Donna Post Advisory Board Luis Alberto Rivera STAFF Executive Director/ WebMaestra Dawnmarie Zimmerman Conference Manager Chris Forillo Communications Manager Shawn Newton Conference and Special Projects Graphic Artist Tim Stassines GROUTLINE Editorial & Design Director Shawn Newton Design communications@ americanmosaics.org VISIONARY MEMBERS Denise Hartl Bavier and Charles Bavier di Mosaico Gina M CayFord Jacki Gran Jacki Gran Mosaics Carolina Kawall carolina.kawall.com PATRON MEMBERS Judy Davis Drucilla Perez-Tubens Drews Mosaics Adelaide Waters Groutline is published quarterly to promote mosaic art in the United States and abroad Society of American Mosaic Artists Reproduction or distribution prohibited without permission. Address: P.O. Box 624 Ligonier, PA Editorial queries may be sent to communications@ americanmosaics.org Articles and opinions expressed in Groutline represent the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of SAMA, its board of trustees, or the membership as a whole. Advertisements are purchased and do not imply endorsement by SAMA, its board of trustees, or its members. Advertising Sales communications@ americanmosaics.org ejournal for the Society of American Mosaic Artists 24 GROUTLINE FALL 2017